I’m voting for the progressive candidate in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase with POLITOLOGUE preferred to previous Festival winners.

A bit of a firebrand in his younger days, Paul Nicholls’s grey has matured into a professional performer and not looked back since dropping down in trip over fences.

Unlucky to fall when looking the likely winner at Aintree last spring (stumbled badly on landing over the last), the 7yo has not put a foot wrong in three starts this season.

He could be called the winner from an early stage in the Haldon Gold Cup on his reappearance and took his form to championship level when repelling Fox Norton with a bit in hand despite a close finish to the Tingle Creek.

Politologue merely rubber-stamped his credentials with a comfortable victory in the Desert Orchid at Kempton over Christmas but as Nicholls said at the time it gives him breathing space for the perfect Cheltenham preparation.

A bit of a firebrand in his younger days, Paul Nicholls’s grey has matured into a professional performer and not looked back since dropping down in trip over fences.

The same cannot be said for hot favourite Altior, who has undergone a wind operation since his well-publicised breathing problems surfaced on the Lambourn gallops, resulting in his absence from the Tingle Creek.

Nicky Henderson is now playing catch-up with the 8yo, who for all the brilliance he’s shown in winning the Supreme, last year’s Arkle and a stack of other good races, must prove his wellbeing post-setback.

It’s a similar story with 2016 Arkle winner Douvan, who has not been sighted since his long odds-on demise in this race last year when finishing lame after some uncharacteristically awkward jumps.

If Willie Mullins’s 8yo and Altior do happen to return in peak form it promises to be some match-up, but Politologue has got the runs on the board this season and is open to further improvement.

Yorkhill, stablemate of Douvan, comfortably holds the selection on last year’s JLT Novices form but that was over 2m4f and Politologue has looked a different horse over shorter trips with the hood removed.

Seemingly a non-stayer over 3m in Leopardstown’s Christmas Chase (ultimately beaten a long way), Yorkhill holds entries in the Ryanair and Champion Hurdle as well as this.

Reigning champion Special Tiara (beat Fox Norton in a photo) was a 3-1 shot compared to 8-15 Politologue when they met at Kempton on level terms (fell too far out to know how he’d have fared) and aged 11 is probably vulnerable to younger improvers.

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